Curse Of The Dark Wind (Book 6) (2 page)

“I apologize, my lord. I forgot about the situation with your daughter. It is difficult to let go and accept that one’s child has diverted from your expectations.”

“One would say impossible. I still dream of her returning to my flock and abandoning her fool of a husband,” the dark master replies, wiping a glistening tear from his cheek. With a wave of his hand, he sends the demons over the cliff where the net dissolves and releases them back into the shadows. “I lost many sons and daughters in my battles, but I look at the positives more often than the negatives. My deceased children perished in my service and my favorite son still walks this world. Enjoy the fact that Nimby is alive and believe that he will return to you of his own volition.”

Vile clears his throat and runs a hand through his curly brown hair. “What about your other daughter?”

“No family is perfect,” the ancient nobleman replies with a smirk. There is a hint of sadness and rage that appears in his eyes, the emotions fading before his minion can be certain they were there. “The poor thing tries to forge a niche in our world, but every large family has that one disappointment. She is still a prize in my heart. Now are you capable of assisting Stephen and Queen Trinity?”

“I will do what they ask and give council if requested,” the solider replies with renewed confidence. “Though I’m sure Stephen will keep me on a tight leash and do as he sees fit. With all due respect, my lord, I’m worried that your son will attempt to eliminate the rest of us.”

“I do not blame you for being wary,” the Baron admits, returning to his throne and finding that the girl has fallen asleep. “I have spoken with my son and warned him that any more plotting against his allies will be met with severe punishment. I even gave him a taste of what I would do, so he should be relatively well-behaved. If you sense he is endangering Queen Trinity or yourself then please send me a message. I trust this part of our conversation will remain between us, dear General.”

“Upon the armored heart of Ram, I will keep your words a secret,” the halfling says with a salute. He turns on his heels to march toward the portal, stopping before he steps into the gaping hole. “I don’t wish to disturb Nyder, so permit me to ask where I must go. There has been no prior effort to include me in this plan.”

“Meet your allies outside of Fyric at a place called the Cave of Winds,” his master replies without facing the soldier. “It is an old place from a simpler time, so you can be assured that the name is self-explanatory. I look forward to your success.”

The sucking noise of the closing portal goes unnoticed as the Baron stands over the girl sleeping on his silver throne. He can see Raksha prowling around the nearby boulders, her tails slashing at the earth. The beast gingerly approaches her master, but her eyes never leave the tempting treat. She purrs when the Baron rubs the top of her head and licks her lips in anticipation of getting her teeth into the girl. A gentle rap on her head causes Raksha to pull her forked tongue back into her mouth and whimper.

“What am I going to do with you?” he softly whispers to the sleeping child.

*****

A howling wind rushes through the cavern, erupting from the mouth and whipping at the permanently matted grass outside. This powerful gust shakes the flexible trees as it transforms into a swift breeze that washes over the continent of Ralian. Since before the Great Cataclysm, the Cave of Winds has kept the region’s air moving and clean. Travelling throughout the land, the enchanted winds gather the foul air and corruptive spell residues created by the world’s inhabitants. Nobody knows if the gusts take the pollution out to sea or beyond the clouds and many have wasted their lives trying to discover the truth. It is believed that only an immortal would have the time and power to follow the winding paths that would lead them to the greatest collection of corrupted energy in Windemere’s history.

“I have a theory about this place,” Stephen mentions as he examines a shimmering archway of quartz. A sudden burst of wind tousles his black hair, which immediately appears back in its proper place. “Somewhere out there is a hidden land where these winds deliver all the muck into a reservoir. Imagine the potency of such a collection of smoke and spells. One could fill the world with twisted creatures or hold kingdoms hostage with such corruptive energy. Just think, milady. It’s an untapped resource that’s waiting for someone to claim it.”

Ignoring her companion, Queen Trinity stands in the middle of the blue stone cavern. She is topless and with her arms spread wide, the four enhancer gems glowing as she focuses her power. The magic ripples between the violet jewels and the aura threads swiftly weave into a dense orb that devours a few errant hairs. An angry wind whips her ebony tresses and rakes across her cobalt skin, sending shivers throughout her body. The purple light around her intensifies as the chaos elf’s mind drifts beyond the material plane and plunges into the Chaos Void. With most of her consciousness busy, she is unable to sense that her ally is getting bored and anxious.

“The power could be anywhere,” Stephen continues, frowning at her silence. He nears the powerful caster, licking his lips and loosening the top button on his crimson shirt. “I wonder how much focus you truly need, my toy.”

“Touch me and I’ll bring an army of Spurges here,” an illusionary Trinity says, appearing in front of him. She crosses her arms over her bare chest, her violet eyes boring into the grinning man. “Your father will be angry if you disturb me. You’re already in trouble for costing us the Lich.”

A growl escapes Stephen’s mouth before he can stop himself. “Tyler was a fool!”

“He still had his uses. The least of which was distracting the champions while the rest of us did our work,” the chaos elf points out. She passes through her companion and beckons for him to follow her to a pool of shining fae water. “Why do you persist on tempting fate? One day your father may decide you’re expendable if you continue to cause trouble.”

“Then that will be the day I kill him,” Stephen whispers into her pointy ear. He touches the false Trinity’s skin and feels her solidify under his touch. “I’ve always wondered if I could take an illusion and the sensations would return to the source once the spell was ended. I already see a way to embed sensations into your aura.”

Trinity shoves him away with a burst of force, the attack enhanced by a roaring blast of wind. “Don’t forget to include the hate and disgust. I can’t wait for this mission to be over. Spending the last few months with you has been a terrible affair.”

“I’m sure many of your screams were from pleasure,” he confidently teases, easily dodging the lightning bolt that streaks from the chaos elf’s hand.

“Touch the right spot on a woman for long enough and you’ll get some of those by accident,” the illusion growls, flickering as if Trinity is losing her concentration. “It doesn’t mean they enjoyed it, but then you don’t care about your partners. It’s all about power and control with you.”

Stephen appears behind the illusion and wraps his arms around her, his lips seeking out her neck. Shivering in disgust, the image vanishes from his grasp and returns on the other side of the pool. He backs away when the glowing liquid splashes at him, his nose wrinkled in repulsion. With a cruel sneer, he approaches the fae water and submerges his entire arm. The sound of sizzling flesh makes the real Trinity jump, her spell nearly ruined by the surprise. Stephen’s blood roils the water and steals its glow, turning it into a drab pool of stagnant liquid.

“How much longer until I’m blessed with the original?” he asks while hungrily eyeing the illusion. “I’m bored with your empty smell and arrogant blathering. If this takes much longer, I will have to entertain myself with this detailed construct.”

“A precise summoning without a true ritual takes time and patience. Rushing it will undo everything you have prepared,” the fake Trinity nervously explains. She passes into the wall, leaving only her face free of the stone. “The servants you have bred for this trap are mindless, so they must be baited and coaxed through the portal. At the same time, I must prevent other demons from crossing over. One wrong move can lead to my aura being devoured or the unleashing of a Named One that neither of us can control. This is your plan, so I hope you wish to see it succeed. Unless you’ve marked me for destruction like the Lich.”

“People keep talking about his demise like it’s a bad thing,” Stephen mutters as he walks over to the real Trinity and circles her. He reaches out to caress her cheek, but stops a hair away from her flawless skin. “I would never bring harm to such a lovely creature. Your power is intoxicating and drives me wild. Such a glorious taste is upon your skin and lips. I would never cast you aside, my dear Queen. Even if I dominated and claimed your rival, you would still hold a special place in my heart. After all, I broke you first.”

The illusion vanishes and a whirling vortex appears on the back wall of the open, blue stone cavern. Black mist drifts out of the portal to snake along the ceiling and floor, the ends inspecting every inch of rock. A gust of wind rushes toward the solitary doorway, taking most of the demonic toxins through the rest of the caves and out into the world. Several wisps touch the quartz archway as they pass, leaving the prismatic structure cloudy and cracked. A faint shriek bursts from the vortex as thicker tendrils of black smoke emerge. Some of the mist thickens and coalesces on the ceiling, becoming faint forms that scurry into the shadows.

“The hazes have been summoned. They need some time to acclimate before I close the portal,” Trinity says in a hoarse voice. She shivers as a blast of cold air rockets through the cavern, the ancient magic attempting to remove the corruption. “I need to rest before we move on to the next stage. This was difficult, but what you want me to do next has never been attempted before. Besides, he won’t work with me willingly.”

“I have the utmost confidence in you,” Stephen declares, picking up her leathery shirt and handing it to her. The arrogant man refuses to turn away as the chaos elf gets dressed, his sapphire eyes running along every curve of her body. “It appears your precious gems have lost their luster. If you wish, I could relieve you of your exhaustion. It’s the least I can do for such a cherished ally.”

“You only want me to have enough energy to fight back when you indulge yourself. I know your games, Stephen,” the caster replies, keeping a cautious eye on her companion. To avoid losing sight of him, she opens the back of her shirt and slips it on like a vest. The glistening material seals perfectly as soon as she grows sleeves out of the shoulders and flairs the bottom around her hips. “As for your boast, you never broke me. You repeatedly threaten my people if I refuse you, so I satisfy your desires while dreaming of the day you’re no more. When that time comes, I’ll happily drive so many spells into your corpse that only a thimble full of cinders will remain.”

Stephen grabs the chaos elf by the shoulders and violently kisses her, throwing her to the ground when he is done. “You threaten to kill me when you know it’s impossible. Such a cowardly declaration that reeks of fear. Maybe I’ll demote you to my second favorite when I have Nyx in my hands. You’ll become a broken toy that I retrieve from the shelf when I’m feeling nostalgic. If my father grows bored of you then I can keep you in a cell with only the rats to keep you company. I’m sure you’ve already thought of this possibility, which is where your false bluster comes from. Poor little Trinity is trying to make herself appear bigger than she really is.”

“Go ahead and claim her. I’d love to see you try and control both of us. As I stated, you keep me on a leash because of my people. You won’t have that luxury with Nyx.”

“Haven’t you figured it out yet, milady? That’s what this entire plan is about!” the man declares, his pants turning as red as his shirt. Embracing Trinity, he picks her up and flips her into his arms where she fights the urge to claw his eyes out. “We will weaken Luke Callindor enough to make his capture so easy that even a goblin could do it. Once I hold his life in my hands, Nyx will be mine and allow me to do whatever I want to her.”

The chaos elf melts to slip from his grasp, reforming behind her grinning ally. “This is all about getting Nyx?”

“Killing a few heroes in the process has its perks, but she’s my goal,” he says, licking his lips in anticipation. His eyes roll into the back of his head as he imagines the feel of the half-Elven caster in his hands. “With both of you under my command, I can conquer the world for my father and finish this tedious game. Then he will grant me a chance to dethrone him, which I will win with your power.”

“Unless we refuse to fight because your death removes the threat to our loved ones.”

“I don’t need you on the battlefield to reap the benefits of your magic,” Stephen calmly admits as he wrinkles his nose at the smell of sulfur. He looks at the ceiling to see it is covered in shifting mist and numerous orange eyes are watching him. “I feel that this is a conversation best left for another time. The demons have gathered and seem hungry. I don’t want to be forced to damage them.”

Trinity cracks her knuckles and takes a deep breath of the stale air, her enhancer gems flickering to life. The howl of demons fills the cavern as she focuses on the vortex and moves her hands as if to crush it closed. As her aura churns around her hands, cracks ripple through the portal and it folds in upon itself. With an echoing pop, the opening to the Chaos Void is sealed and the smoke-like demons fly into a furious rage. They descend on Trinity, who puts up a barrier to deflect the attack, the black mist coating her protective bubble.

“I believe it’s time for us to leave,” Stephen whispers in her ear. He snaps his fingers and they are suddenly outside the cavern, the crystalline opening struggling to glitter in the sunlight. “The Dark Wind is infecting the air and clinging to the trees already. By the time our enemies arrive, the curse will be embedded in the area. I’m going to send General Vile to keep an eye on them. I want to be sure the curse takes effect and they don’t find a way to purify the Callindor.”